Let us Pay Tributes

Let us Pay Tributes :

The Memorial Place& The National Independence Hall

 

 

 

The 18th wave of KMLA, Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, had a field trip a few days ago, namely, to 'arouse the minjok spirit in our blood' and to 'pay tributes to our ancestors who contributed in the nation's freedom and well-being'. That got everybody exhilarated, including me, until we heard that we needed to wear our formal school uniforms- ceremonial hanboks. They are of a rough material, and it is a little uncomfortable once you wear it, so our spirits were a little dampened as we set off.

 

 

 

 

The Memorial Place (Past home of sir Lee Sun-Shin)

 

    Trailing our 'traditional overcoats' of bright skyblue behind us, we marched to the old home of sir Lee Sun-Shin. Sir Lee, to briefly summarize, was a hero during the Japanese invasion and died in 1598. Since then he has received the love and respect of our nation.

   

A Memorial Temple was constructed there to honor his service and memory to our nation. Thus I was somewhat excited, for in my childhood one of my personal heros was sir Lee. His bravery and patriotism amazed me, and I wanted to become 'somebody who did so much good to my country' just like him. So he also inspired me, in a childish way. The portrait of sir Lee was placed inside the Memorial Temple- we had one minute of silence, as a tribute, and I also personally prayed for the accomplishment of my wish- and thanked him for protecting Korea. Well, Chosun, at the times, to be precise. And it might have been a coincidence, but our school, KMLA's role model is sir Lee as well, and so I felt some extra affection for my school.

 

 

 

<Choong-Moo Door>

 

 

 

 

 

 

<Memorial Temple>

 

 

 

Then I visited the sir Lee museum and saw . There was also a special display room in the memory of sir Lee, which showed how he was perceived by our nation through the years.




 

The National Independence Memorial Hall

    After lunch, we moved on to the National Independence Memorial Hall[독립기념관]. After a long path in the sun, we arrived at the actual building- and saw 'The Tower of Brethren'. It symbolized the nation of Korea, together, and was quite strange in a way, for our nation had obtained independence nearly seven decades ago, but still was parted in two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were seven halls in total- due to limited time, we couldn't see all. But the halls were (nearly) displaying historical stuff according to time order. So the first hall was about our nation's history and cultural heritage in general. Then the next was about our nation's hardships during the Japanese invasion period. Then there were how patriots attempted to free our country, and how they fought for independence. Moreover, the last hall was about the temporary Korean government, and there was a hall for special displays.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah~ It's ME!!! :)

 

 

 

 

    We followed around the curator, listening to our ancestors' struggles to protect our nation, and all of a sudden I realized that I loved them all so much. Was so thankful to them, for REALLY, if it weren't for them I wouldn't be standing there, listening to the curator, wearing hanbok uniforms. And even though the hanbok was quite uncomfortable and stuffy, I realized that they were all precious cultural heritage, of our great ancestors, and my complaints regarding hanbok were stifled all at once.

So overall, even if our trip was so hot, humid and stifling(no pun intended) there was a lot to learn, and a lot to feel. As our school's role model, sir Lee provided a pool of love for my country to me, and thus increased my motivation, literally. Furthermore, I was proud of our hanbok uniform, as well as my school's ideoligies, and so on. So this trip became a promise for myself, to keep on reaching for my dream; to shine Korea, our proud nation, all over the world.

 

 

-Written by Kwan Yu-Ji

a.k.a. JAde

What Am I? - Life as a naerok, and something more

#1. (Appetizer- kitchen salad made in the chicken)

First of all, let's answer to the question written above ;

WHAT AM I ? 

Well,
    I 'want' to be a writer.
And a good and famous and incredible and formidabe and popular and affluent as well, if possible, but all that things are making my dream less pure and more materialistic, aren't they? Basically, I want to be a writer, purely because I like to write and also that I believe that I DO have some talent in it, or at least creativity, and popularity, money and all other things are just options.

   And the only one thing I am good at, especially in KMLA- a house full of geniuses of all kinds- is English (writing), and I have an obsession and a self-imposed responsibility on myself to get good scores in this field. Plus write satisfactory pieces; for it's so long since I've written a decent draft, something I might be proud of and consider as one of my best literature pieces. 

  However my self-esteem has been crushed like a lemon into a pulp, as soon as I saw what other students write- or talk, more broadly.


    I can't write witty stuff, like some of the students do here at KMLA. Some are really creative, or possess an incredible sense of humor that kids just love them. So that their speeches are filled with laughs due to the so-funny lines, and their daily conversations just arouse an air of humor and ... well, attention and interest. And I have none of those things, or I perceive so, so negatively. And I just get smaller and smaller. When I speak no kids listen to me real carefully, or react to me. And I definitely DO know that this is just primitive mumbo-jumbo, a selfish complaint on not being recognized (as a writer, possibly).

 I am... .... boo hoo

    So I have concluded that the only way I could attract, at least, the teacher's attention to me, is to work hard, diligently and arduously. If I don't have that creative burst of ideas, a spark of ingeniousity to attract everybody's attention- I know it's a foolish and an selfish dream, but that' the way most of your dreams are, aren't they?-

 

 

 

   Oh, all this is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo depressing. I'll just proceed to the rather exciting part, the thrilling part full of suspension and smoke and mirrors. Oh! And full of purple passages as well- ever since I read the 'Why I Write' prose by George Orwell, it became one of my favourite vocabularies- and describe my first encounter with this troublesome piece of article. 
 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2. (The Main Dish - Stew in pewter)

   The main reason I got that introduction part so long, is that I wanted to focus, overall, on who (or what) I am and how I am getting closer to that by the chaos that is happening inside my head.

 

" HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHE " < Mental breaking..no ,broken.

 

 

Well, back down to earth.

 

 

I was trying to show my best,(now that's where the gloomy intro part come in) and so I read the article I received "Nacirema" very, very very carefully. It seemed quite interesting- and I had to deduce an analysis from it in quite a short amount of time! So I read quickly, annotating and nearly coloring it in rainbow. Gosh, I didn't know that we were supposed to hand it down to another class; I was so much concentrating that no other thoughts occurred to me.

 

As I read through the article, I was intrigued and both disgusted at the customs of this strange people. With so many 'ritual's an reliance on magic and these strange men! How they seemed to be true S & M players, enjoying violence and pain! I kept talking t myself, wow I should really know about these weirdoes!

 

And so I composed an essay about how we should use 'cultural relativism' in understanding others' cultures, and we should be benevolent as 'global (servant) leaders' who will lead the world eventually, with passion in our hearts and for the happiness of our great fatherland, and bla bla bla.

 

  

 

 

I knew I was writing rubbish, and I didn't like it, but I had no other ideas.

Consequently I tried my best anyway, and wrapped up just in time.

And I was proud of myself, and had an extra big dinner.

 

No, that can't be right because I always have a big dinner- oh, never mind.

 

 

 

BUT THEN THERE WAS THE GREAT TRUTH IMPOSED UPON ME.

 

 

 

 ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
 

 

 

 

 

OMG

 

 

 

Well, I was literally struck out of the bolt in the blue (or something along the lines)

because it was actually an article about- well, I'll talk about it in the third part anyway, but it was about AMERICANS. And it was, well, so smartly hidden and in another way so simple that I felt stupidity to myself.

 

 

But my (first) response was the normal one, and when assured that, I relaxed.

So I wasn't the only one fooled-

still, I felt a tinge of disappointment;

what if I had been the genius, the smart one who

actually found out what the article was about

from reading it for the first time?

 

 

Well, apparently I had a lot to learn.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#3. (The After-Dish - Over-baked bacons with oiled olives )

    So, let's admit. It was so shocking and surprising when I figured out the truth, especially because there were actually so many clues pointing towards the truth; terms and descriptions that matched the current happenings exactly.

    I thought the author was so clever, to give a twist to things just a little bit so you'd have to pay real close attention to the context to find out the truth.



    As an obvious example, the name NACIREMA itself is backwards to AMERICAN, and thus the argument that this article is mocking, criticizing Americas sounds more supported.
In addition, the general Washington's name is spelled backwards, as Notgnihsaw. Some kind of prejudice, or even stereotype thinking made me into confirming the suspicion that those names belonged to indegenious tribes, with more certainty. Thus I did not even think otherwise on the purpose of the article.

   Furthermore, there are parts indicating the Americans' tendency to visit the doctors a lot. The term, 'listener' means a phychiatrist you go and talk to, and there are magical potions given by, well, doctors! And the way he patronizes this is very subtle, somewhat, and somewhat very plain to see. Also, the author even twists this side of the story more by emphasizing that people extremely trust the doctors and continue to visit them even though the medicines exactly don't work, and the doctors give them pain, sometimes even unnecessary ones.

   Moreover, it was almost peculiar, and wow-ing that this article was written almost half a century ago, but the terms and the circumstances mentioned still applied to the current Americans with accuracy. People still adore doctors and worship them and their medicines; rather more, than those times, actually. People care about their appearances and can go through immense pain to improve those- and take whatever measures possible.

The conclusion is that,
one, the author is a predictor from the nacirema tribe and can know anything that will happen in the future,
and two, that people are getting so predictable and simple that we aren't really developing, in the sense of 'moral' civilization.


The latter, I think.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#4. (Dessert - Whatever, waiter)


    Cultural Relativism, ok.
Me,  a nareok. Ok.


    Just who would ever call me a nareok in my life? Except students in KMLA?


 

   And if I write about my life as a nareok, in the deep mountain vallies of Duck-go- where it is so cold that it snows in Spring, and then the snow is suddenly chucked away with the blossoms of magical flowers and barbeques-
what would others say to that prose?

Oh, and throw in wearing some garments as long as our heights; which contains the 'lines of the mother (nature)'.


People would interpret it their own way, write about it, mostly considering that they were superor to it- for if you are to judge something, you must be better or more superior compared to that. (Or at the least you must think so.)

   ARG!!
Who AM I??

  It made me a little bit sad, the view of points that I had acquired through the years- for I couldn't have been born like this, could I?

From when did I think myself such a superior creature from other societies of people?

Dunno, really.


If I really want to be a 'global' leader, I should be altruistic, not selfish or egoistic, right?
Then I should change the pattern, the way of my thoughts first, rather than what I say and act.



So treating other people in the way you'd like to be treated; that is real cultural relativism, I reckon. And I am SINCERE, for holy sake. or Ekas Yloh, you could say.


Plus, as I was writing the reflection of this article about 'Nacirema', and was looking upon myself, I brought myself to a bright conclusion-that's in my nature, anyway-
that I should really reconsider about being me, a writer, that is.

I have always thought that I should be a writer, and that I like to write and is good at it.
Well, part of it is  true. But parts are not.

I shouldn't get so agitated at every speech, every assignment on writing that I am not the five-star ranked winner, the popular one; and question myself seriously whether I even deserve to be one everytime. Also, I just need my passion to be a writer; all A's aren't necessary, though it's good if you try for one. Efforts are what really matters, not so much of brains.

I am a proud naerok, and will be whatever I want to, and do whatever I want to do.

Of course, writing is included, but I'll be positive and stop comparing others with me. I'll be me. A naerok, and something more.

Parlindromes! (For a good laugh)

 

 

 

 

Well, basically,

I was trying to 'compose' my draft of the NACIREMA essay.

Then I thought about catchy puns that I could use as a title, or maybe put inside my essay to bring out some laughter and interest in readers! As my other articles don't appear so

entertaining or pleasing to read, as much as I hope them to be.

 

Then I thought about words being spelled backwards, like

AMERICAN : NAEIREMA,

and then I wanted to use words that could be spelled forwards and backwards the same.

 

So I googled it, and in about two seconds I found what I wanted, along with an abundunce of examples. So here's what I found, and it's called

 

'Palindrome'(s).

 

And these are phrases- words, seem more simple and less funny,

like 'bob' or 'noon'- well, not entirely satisfying, 'huh'?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't nod
Dogma: I am God
Never odd or even
Too bad – I hid a boot
Rats live on no evil star
No trace; not one carton
Was it Eliot's toilet I saw? Murder for a jar of red rum
May a moody baby doom a yam?
Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog!
Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas!
A Toyota! Race fast... safe car: a Toyota Straw? No, too stupid a fad; I put soot on warts
Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era? Doc Note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod
No, it never propagates if I set a gap or prevention
Anne, I vote more cars race Rome to Vienna
Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus
Kay, a red nude, peeped under a yak
Some men interpret nine memos
Campus Motto: Bottoms up, Mac
Go deliver a dare, vile dog!  Actually, my favourite one :)
Madam, in Eden I'm Adam Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
Ah, Satan sees Natasha
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Do geese see God?
God saw I was dog
Dennis sinned  

 

 

 

Source : http://www.fun-with-words.com/palin_example.html

 

 

 

(P.S. The colored ones are what seem more interesting and reasonable :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go deliver a dare, vile dog!

 

 

 

 

 

(P.S.#2. Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 

 

 

Another Brick in the Wall

Another brick in the wall 

 

First of all, one might see it strange that I, a student who doesn't go to 'ordinary' high schools, complain about the school system that has been going on in Korea. However the thing is, that this is not an article of mere complaint, and rather, is a declaration and request for students and anybody involved in the Education Industry in Korea to change. Things need to be changed, I know it’s a clique, but it is true whenever, wherever, whatsoever.

 

 

<Another brick in the wall, music video>

 

 

 

Have you ever heard of Pink Floyd? I bet you did. The song by Pink Floyd, [Another Brick in the Wall], depicts vividly of the brutal reality of school. In the music video, teachers attempt to make students same, and the students are mutilated in factories, ‘schools’. Still the students tell the teacher to leave them alone, and there appears the hope that we, students will not completely be transformed into uniform ‘things’. And that is a situation that can still apply in this era of time, for it is still the reality of education and school for the present. Students need to compete with each other to get a better grade, for they are graded based on each other.

 
           Now let’s take a look at statistics. According to the ‘2013 Teenager Statistic’ announced by the National Statistical Office, the greatest cause of death of those of age 15 ~ 24 in the year 2011 was suicide. Also the rates have been nearly doubled from last year. That alone might seem irrelevant, but the main reason-39.2%- the ‘teenage students’ (from age 13 ~ 19) gave up their lives was due to problems of ‘school grades and entrance to further schools’.
     

           Meanwhile, 6 out of 10 teens seemed to receive stress from their ‘overall & school life’. More than fifty percent of teenagers-58.4%- received stress from their school life. But why do they get so much stress from school? Because of the competitive grading system, and the ever-waging war of entrance exams.

 

       As one can easily deduce from these factors, there is a problem with the Korean Education, and that’s apparent because every year the press discusses it at some time or another. But precisely how, is it wrong? From where has the gears gone rusty; for people should know the problem exactly when they are angry about it. Basically, the problem is the endless competition resulted from the structure of Korean Education

           It does not mean that this incident is the start of everything; it’s just a causal starting point. In 2000, the Constitutional court decided that the ban for private education was against the Constitution, thus making the government let go of its evidence to stop private education. There were also continued policies that resulted in the increase of private education, and high school students must be familiar with the term ‘The Death Triangle’.

           The government resulted in increasing private education, and the entrance exam war just got more and more complicated. And so the students, in schools, are becoming robots and alike creatures who are craving for better grades, and meanwhile get nothing else much in priority.

 

           The fact is :

Students get extremely stressed in schools, due to grades, exams, tests, and all this system that is rolling on set by the government. Private academies make millions, trying to get the students into expensive, prestigious schools as the entry gets more and more harder, with more competition.

 

            And there’s a solution to this problem with education. Students should stop trying to fit in the cycle of endless competition, and try to be different. Stop caring for the grades so preciously, and definitely NOT being another brick in the wall. You don’t need to be a brick, for this is a free democratic country, right? And even if it wasn’t, you should be a different, glistening creature. Also, your youth is too valuable to be wasted in private academies, or in stress due to grades. Just be different from those bricks, and the world will be much happier for you, I promise. Mark your own path, not like what others all take.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

-By Kwan Yu-Ji a.k.a. Jade

To see closer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, you can see the real things when you see closer.

 

 

(Copyright to Me :)

Tears (poem)

Tears
 


I smile
he's bad, they say
but I do not see anything
just his brightness and warmth


I smile
he's false, they say
he'll discard you like a pack of cards after a lost game
but I do not hear anything
just his laughter like golden sunshine



I smile
he's nothing, they say
a cowardly piece of lying filth, with no money or some,
say that he's filthy rich
but I do not fear anything
just his, self and me standing together
 


on a warm summer night I dreamt that I dreamt with him
him and me on the hills
backs together pressed with slight pressure
lips a bit smiling and humming a same tune together
 
and that was a thousand years ago.
 



Now I dream
dream of he and me
and I smile the smie he taught me to
and there are tears on my face, on my both cheeks
 

for there is him no more.
Who told me all woud be alright when I cried
who pressed his warm hands on my cheeks
who dried my cheeks and touched it with his lips
 



And I feel the tears inside my mouth
as I say his name for the last time
and farewell.

 
Tears will guide me to his land.
And they will, to you as well.

 

 

 

-Written by Jade, a.k.a. Danielle

:)